Lenora and the Dawn of the Dragon Racers
by Brightfire15
Summary: Companion piece to "How Lenora Trains Her Dragon." It's the day of the annual dragon race and Snotlout insists that his sheep-launcher be used in the day's race. He feels it's only fair as he invented the sport in the first place. But Lenora and her husband-to-be, Aster, remembers things a little differently. How did dragon racing come to be Berk's favorite sport? Who made it? R&R!


**Lenora and the Dawn of the Dragon Racers**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Five years after the Battle of Red Death, Berk was enjoying a prosperous age and today promised to be one of the greater ones.

Today was the annual dragon race, a competition where teams of dragon riders would fly around Berk collecting sheep for points in order to win a big prize and the honor and praise of the village. Lenora, her fiancé and the other former trainees and their dragons were decked out in special paint and were busy training before the race that would occur later that afternoon.

"Pull!"

Phil, Gobber's pet sheep, who was wearing a safety helmet (a tiny horned Viking helmet) was tossed up into the air by Snotlout's new invention, a sheep launching catapult.

Lenora swooped in and caught the sheep before it had the chance to hit the ground. "Whoo-hoo! Nice! Good job, bud."

Toothless garbled happily as he smiled.

"Baa!"

Lenora looked up to see another sheep get tossed up into the air and then caught by her cousin, Snotlout as he flew on his Monstrous Nightmare, Firewyrm.

Snotlout looked quite smug. "I win!"

Lenora rolled her eyes. "Good job, Snot. But remember, it's just practice." Her cousin had changed in many ways, but sometimes she still saw the arrogant twit she'd grown up with. "And besides, only two sheep got launched, so it's actually a tie."

Snotlout opened his mouth to protest but then his face fell and he scowled. "I hate you."

They both burst out laughing and flew back to the arena.

Aster, Lenora's fiancé, was waiting for them and clapping when they arrived.

"Good job, Beautiful. And by the way, you should wear red more often. It really suits you," said Aster, smiling.

Everyone's paint was different. Aster and Brightscales wore painted butterfly shaped masks of bright blue and orange. Lenora and Toothless' face paint was red stripes. Snotlout and Firewyrm's paint was red and yellow stripes. Fishlegs and Puffskins wore orange and green circles and a line. Ruffnut and Smoke were wearing blue-ish green and yellow stripes, but Tuffnut and Sparks were still unfinished.

"Thanks, Handsome," said Lenora. She wrapped her arms around Aster and kissed him. "You look great too." She couldn't wait until their wedding.

"Hey, what do you guys think of my face paint?" asked Tuffnut. He spun around and showed them his face. His entire face was covered in yellow and black paint and he looked like something out Lenora's nightmares.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Aster.

"What? Too subtle?" asked Tuffnut, not catching on.

"Yeah, just a bit," said Fishlegs, as he held up two fingers.

"Yeah? Well, at least _I_ didn't paint my face to look like a target!" snapped Tuffnut. "A _not subtle _target!"

Fishlegs scowled and looked indignant. "I'll have you know that this is the official Ingerman family crest!"

"Wow. Two circles and a line! How creative," said Tuffnut, sarcastically.

Ruffnut joined him in laughing at Fishlegs.

Fighleg's frown deepened.

"Knock it off, guys!" said Lenora, sternly. "You know the rules. No fighting or ill-behavior today! Do you want to give my dad a reason to disqualify you from today's race?" Having been the village joke for a number of years, Lenora detested seeing someone be picked on or made fun of for any reason and she wasn't in the mood for this nonsense.

The twins looked alarmed and shook their heads before apologizing to Fishlegs.

"Yeah, guys, no fighting. We should be celebrating! My sheep launcher worked, just like I said it would!" said Snotlout, happily.

"And it only took thirty-two tries to get it right," said Aster, teasingly.

Everyone laughed at this. Snotlout's invention had caused quite a bit of trouble when he'd been testing it. The sheep either landed _way _off target or worse, they were embedded in walls and doors of the buildings on Berk.

"Hey! Inventing inventions has a lot of trial and error! Lenora said so!" said Snotlout, looking embarrassed.

Aster gave Lenora questioning look.

"What? He asked for some tips and advice while making this thing and I gave it to him," said Lenora. When her cousin had come to Lenora with news of his invention and requests for advice and help with it, Lenora had been unable to refuse. Partly because Snotlout was her cousin and she knew he'd need an experienced hand in to make his invention successful, and partly because she knew if she didn't help, it'd be a complete disaster.

"Well, you know what they say: '_you can't make an omelet without breaking a few legs_,'" said Tuffnut, as he reloaded the sheep launcher.

Lenora frowned. "It's _eggs_, not _legs. _You can't make an omelet without breaking a few _eggs_." She didn't like where this was going as knowing the twins, they'd probably caused a lot of trouble just by thinking that the phrase went differently than it did.

"It is? Then we'd better make some apologies," said Ruffnut.

Tuffnut looked like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Yeah, we'd better start with Mom!"

Lenora face palmed as she shook her head. _Some things never change, just like some people, no matter how much time passes or what happens to them. _Ruffnut and Tuffnut were good people but they were still bickering idiots at times.

"Anyway, clearly my sheep launcher's ready for today's dragon race," said Snotlout.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Aster. "Who says you get to decide?"

He disapproved of Snotlout's invention and still found his soon-to-be cousin-in-law to be an egotistical moron.

Snotlout gave him a patronizing look. "Uncle Stoick and Lenora said my invention could be used if I wanted now that it's finally ready. And besides, why shouldn't I get to decide? I invented the sport!"

"What?" said Lenora, in disbelief. "You invented dragon racing?"

"Duh! Dragon racing. _My _idea!" said Snotlout.

Aster let out a noise that sounded like a scoff mixed with a laugh and Fishlegs did the same.

"Snotlout, I think one of those flying sheep hit you on the head," said Fishlegs.

"While that may be true, it doesn't change the fact that I invented dragon racing!" said Snotlout, stubbornly.

"Uh…Snotlout, I hate to burst your bubble, but that's not how I remember it," said Lenora. If she remembered correctly, Snotlout wasn't the one who came up with dragon racing all those years ago. He'd played his part, but the idea of dragon racing hadn't come from her cousin.

Snotlout's jaw dropped. "What…? You don't…? How can you say that?" he said, flabbergasted. "You're my cousin! _Family!_ How can you not back me up?"

"Oi! Calm down. Just because I don't support your claim of inventing dragon racing, doesn't mean I don't support you as a member of my family," said Lenora, annoyed. "I helped with your invention, didn't I?"

No one had made her help Snotlout with his sheep launcher. In fact, just about everyone on Berk had been against, especially after the trouble he'd caused with it. But Lenora had helped out of the goodness of her heart.

"Oh…right…" mumbled Snotlout.

"Why don't I settle this?" said Aster. He looked thoughtful. "Let's think back, shall we? It was a few days before the big annual regatta…"

"Uh, I know! I was there!" interrupted Snotlout.

Aster frowned. "Just listen!"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," muttered Snotlout. "Ow! Whoa!"

The last part was due to Snotlout getting hit from behind by Toothless' tail and then narrowly dodging one of Brightscales's tail spikes.

Lenora bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'm all ears! Sorry!" said Snotlout, apologetically.

Aster looked pleased. "Good. Now, as I was saying, we were getting ready for the regatta…"

XXX

_**Berk, several years ago**_

It was a beautiful springtime afternoon in Berk.

The sun was shining, the sky was clear and blue, Terrible Terrors were singing and Lenora was in her kitchen, hard at work. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, her hair was in a tight braid down her back, and the apron she wore was covered in flour, cream, meat and berry juice stains. As usual, Toothless was at her side to protect her and keep her company. He kept busy by keeping the fire going, making dragon noises to converse with her and licking up whatever fell on the floor or catching whatever scraps Lenora tossed him.

Lenora was quite busy because today was Pie Day. Every year on the fourteenth day of the third month, a few days before the annual regatta, the women of Berk baked a variety of pies—pot pies of fish, chicken or beef mixed with herbs and vegetables, and berry pies of all kinds to be served at a banquet that evening after everyone had had their dinner.

Pie Day was something everyone in Berk looked forward to do as the pies made from the recipes handed down from mother to daughter, were delicious treats craved by all. It was also a chance for the women of Berk to show off their baking skills by telling people which pies they'd made and receive fine compliments for them. Before the business with Toothless, Lenora had not let anyone know that she'd done any baking, but now that she'd come out of her shell, her recipes were among those most praised.

Lenora loved Pie Day. Not because of the attention or even because she loved the desserts, but because pie making was one of the traditions she'd shared with her late mother, Val. In addition to their family recipes, they'd make up their own and have a great deal of fun together. Lenora kept up the tradition to remember her mother and to keep improving her baking skills.

She'd just taken a triple berry pie out of the oven when she heard familiar sounds of destruction and mayhem coming from outside.

With a sigh, Lenora wiped her hands on her apron. "Come on, Toothless. Better see what's going on this time." It was probably just the twins and Snotlout up to their usual shenanigans, but it never hurt to check and besides, chances were she was going to be asked to help solve the problem anyway.

When she opened the door, she saw sheep running rampant, knocking over ladders, running into villagers, trampling plants and causing trouble.

"Another typical day in Berk," said Lenora, chuckling. She hung her apron on a hook on the wall. "Well, I could use a break. Shall we find Gobber and find out what's going on?"

Toothless garbled in agreement.

It didn't take long to find Gobber as he attempted to corner one of the sheep.

"Gobber!" said Lenora, catching his attention. "What's going on?"

"What? Oh, afternoon, Lenora," said Gobber, smiling at his goddaughter. "It's just a bit of rogue wool. Nothing I can't handle. How goes the pie making?"

"Good. I've got plenty made and I'm working on a few more. I'm testing out some new recipes this year that I know you're going to love," said Lenora. Her new recipes included pies made of delicious vanilla cream that were being kept cold in her family's icehouse. "So, where did all these sheep come from?"

"That would be Not-So-Silent Sven," said Gobber. "Apparently, the herd took a vote and didn't like the sound of his new voice."

Silent Sven, so named for his quiet nature and dislike of yelling and loud voices, was normally a gentle man whom Lenora was quite fond of and a friend of many in the village.

Today, however, Silent Sven apparently decided to change his tune.

Toothless' ears folded back and Lenora cringed and covered her own ears at the sound of Sven's horrendous shriek.

"You ungrateful sack of fur!" he screeched, as he chased after a sheep. "Come back!"

"Yeah, I can see why," said Lenora.

That noise was bad enough to make someone's ears bleed.

"Eh, okay little lady," said Gobber, as he attempted to capture the sheep he was cornering. "I may be big, but I'm fast on my feet."

But Gobber apparently wasn't fast enough. The sheep ran beneath his legs and took shelter under one of the fish stores. In the process of trying to capture the sheep, Gobber got his head stuck and had to try and get himself out. Lenora signaled to Toothless, who nodded and went to help Gobber. He stood on his hind legs, grabbed Gobber's stomach with his front legs and began pulling the old blacksmith free.

Stoick then made an appearance. He was carrying two sheep and looked anything but happy.

_Oh, boy. _Lenora knew that look on her father's face all too well. The annual regatta was coming up and Stoick used every minute he could preparing for it. Sven's sheep problem was the last thing he needed.

"Hey, Dad, I'm on break from my baking. Why don't I give you a hand with the sheep?" offered Lenora. "I'm sure you're busy enough preparing for the boat race."

"Yes, the regatta," said Stoick, as he dropped the sheep. "And yes, I'd love it if you could help, Nora. This is the _last _thing I need. So, why don't you round up Aster and the other dragon trainers and take care of this? _Now!_"

Sven screamed again, making Stoick cringe and look as though he was about to cry or scream in frustration—probably both.

"Ack! If I have to hear that scream one more time, I'm going to put Gobber's hook through my own head!" cried Stoick.

Toothless then got Gobber free.

"Done it!" said Gobber, as he rubbed his head. "Wouldn't advise it."

Lenora didn't know if he was talking about getting his head stuck or putting his hook through his head. Personally, she hoped it was the former, but she didn't ask because she didn't want to know.

"Don't worry, Dad. The others and I will get this under control before you know it. Just think of the banquet tonight. I've made your favorites for it. C'mon, Toothless. We've got sheep to round up," said Lenora.

Toothless, who loved any excuse to go flying and have a bit of fun, wagged his tail eagerly and had Lenora get onto his back before taking off.

XXX

So, after rounding up her friends and boyfriend, who all eagerly agreed to help, they split up to catch the sheep and return them to the pen. They'd decided that since Sven had at least fifteen sheep, between the six of them (with the twins acting as one) they would try and capture three each.

As they soared through the woods, Toothless snatched up a pair of sheep in his front paws.

"Good job, buddy," said Lenora, as she patted him. "I see one more." There was another sheep just up ahead, calmly munching on some grass. "Barrel roll!"

While keeping a firm grip on the two sheep he had, Toothless spun upside-down, allowing Lenora to snatch up the sheep before he turned upside right.

"Got her! Great work, Toothless. Now, let's get them home," said Lenora.

_Hopefully, the others got the rest of the sheep without too much trouble._

When she arrived at Sven's house and deposited the sheep in the pen, Aster and Snotlout arrived, each carrying three sheep.

"How many did you get?" asked Snotlout.

"Three," said Aster, smugly. "You?"

"Me too," said Snotlout.

Lenora raised an eyebrow. _Oh, please don't tell me they've turned this job into a competition! _

Just then, Tuffnut screamed as he and Ruffnut ran into the pen with three sheep behind them. Once the sheep were locked in the pen, Tuffnut and Ruffnut leapt over the fence and rested their hands on their knees as they caught their breath.

Lenora fought the urge to be sick. "Tuffnut, _what _in Odin's name is that awful smell?"

A foul odor was emitting from Tuffnut.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," said Tuffnut.

"Yeah. _They _like it. That's all that matters," said Ruffnut, as a sheep tried to chew on the edge of Tuffnut's shirt.

"So, we all got three, then," said Aster.

"Of course. That was the plan," said Lenora. She quickly counted the sheep. "Guys, there's only nine here. Where are Fishlegs and the other three?"

"Incoming!" said Ruffnut.

Fighlegs flew in on Puffskin. He was carrying one sheep in his arms.

"Good job, Fish. But where're the other two?" asked Lenora.

"Right here," said Fishlegs. He patted Puffskin, who opened her large mouth, revealing two, wet and terrified-looking sheep, who quickly joined their friends in the pen.

_Gross! _Lenora shuddered but wisely said nothing. "So, that makes all fifteen Good. But dare I ask what the count was about? Don't tell me you turned this into a competition!" She liked having fun on a job as much as anyone else, but there was a time and a place and if they competed with each other during work _too _often, it usually let to disaster.

"Yes!" they said, in unison.

_Ask a stupid question and ye shall receive_. Lenora shook her head. _Why does everything have to be a competition? _She should've expected it. After all, everyone had grown up trying to be the best and outdo each other.

"Where is he? Where is he? Where is Timmy, my prized black sheep?" fretted Sven. He gasped in horror and worry. "He's still out there! I hope he hasn't fallen down the well again!"

_Ah, crap. How could I have forgotten the sixteenth sheep? _Timmy was Sven's favorite of the sheep and often the one in trouble. Lenora didn't see how a sheep could fall down a well, but she said nothing about it. "Don't worry, Sven. We'll find him. We'll check the well first."

"You know what this means?" said Snotlout, excitedly.

"Tie-breaker," said Aster.

They got back on their dragons and prepared to take off.

"HOLD IT!" yelled Lenora, making them all stop. "If you insist on this being a competition, then how about I make a suggestion? It's Pie Day and you all _love _my pies, don't you?"

"Duh!" said Tuffnut and Ruffnut.

"Of course!" said Snotlout.

"Yes!" said Aster.

"Absolutely!" said Fishlegs.

Ever since Lenora had started telling people which pies were hers and expanding her box of recipes, her friends and boyfriend had come to crave them as much as Gobber craved Lenora's honey spice cakes with cream.

"Then you'll be happy to know that I've made several already today and I'm going to make more when we're done with this. And I think one would be an excellent prize," said Lenora. "So, here's the deal. Whoever finds Timmy the black sheep and brings him back not traumatized, unharmedand in one piece without sabotaging their opponent, will receive _one_ pie of their choice _before_ the banquet tonight. Agreed?"

She didn't agree with their thirst for competition, but if nothing else, maybe she could persuade them to tone it down a little.

"Yes!" they said in unison.

And with that they took off in search of Timmy, the black sheep.

"Man, why does everything have to be a competition with these guys?" asked Lenora, as she flew on Toothless' back. "Can't we just work together in harmony and be done with it? It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Toothless nodded in agreement.

After a search down the well, Timmy was found in the woods by Snotlout, who claimed a large blackberry pie as his prize. And the rest of Pie Day went by without anymore incidents, except for the banquet that evening, which went off without a hitch.

XXX

The following day after breakfast and morning annoucements, Lenora went down to the docks with Toothless to see Stoick off. He was leaving Berk for a couple of days on official business and had told the village to take any orders Lenora made, for she was to be Acting Chieftess in his absence.

No one had any qualms about this decision as by now, they trusted Lenora's judgment and cared much for her. Lenora, however, was quite nervous as she'd never had so much responsibility before in her life. But nevertheless, she'd accepted the job and tried to think of it as practice for when she succeeded her father as leader of Berk.

"So, Dad, what's this 'official business' you've got to leave Berk for?" asked Lenora.

Stoick looked excited as he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I've managed to locate wood on Loki Island that's lighter and stronger than anything we've ever seen! We're building our ship out of it!"

"That sounds really great, Dad. We'll have the best boat in all of Berk," said Lenora, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

Lenora had never cared much for the regatta as it usually bored her to death. The annual regatta wasn't as great as it sounded. People of Berk raced their boats rather slowly across the harbor and won a small prize afterwards. Lenora found the entire competition quite boring and she didn't see the appeal in it. But everyone else on Berk loved the regatta, especially her father, so Lenora did her best to smile on through it.

"Thanks, sweetheart. I know the regatta isn't your favorite event, but it means the world to me that you support me in it," said Stoick.

"Well, considering how many changes you've supported me doing to Berk, it's the least I can do," said Lenora, smiling. "Besides, it gives us a chance to spend time together."

"Aye. That it does," said Stoick. "And besides, if we didn't have a competition, I think we'd all lose our minds."

"Because Vikings need something to fight about?" guessed Lenora.

Stoick nodded. "The regatta's a good way to blow off steam. Because be it dragons or Dagur or Alvin, we Vikings have always had something to fight about. If we're not fighting something, we're fighting each other." As if for proof, he beckoned to two fisherman Vikings, who were beating each other's brains in with fish for weapons. "I rest my case. Now, anything else we need to talk about before I leave?"

"Just one thing. I'm a bit nervous about being in charge while you're gone," she admitted. Leading her boyfriend and friends in a crisis or just helping Berk with problems was one thing, but being in charge of the entire village was another matter entirely. "I know it's just for a few days, but I don't know if I can really do this. What if I mess up or no one listens to me?"

Stoick's face softened as he squeezed her shoulder. "Listen to me. I know how scary it can be to take command for the first time, but you'll do fine. You're a grown woman with a good head on your shoulders and your heart's in the right place. The village knows they can depend on you and they'll follow your command if you give it. Just follow your instincts."

Lenora's heart leapt at this and she gave her father a tight hug. "Thanks, Daddy. That means a lot to me. I promise I'll do my best." She could handle being Acting Chiftess. She just needed to push aside her fear and do what was best.

Stoick returned the embrace. "I know you will. Now, I'm off. And while I'm gone, get the regatta decorations in place. And Toothless, you keep Lenora safe, you hear me?"

Toothless nodded and wrapped a wing around Lenora.

"Will do, Dad. Bye!"

Lenora waved good-bye as Stoick floated away in his ship.

"Wow…"

Lenora nearly jumped out of her skin as she let out a little shriek and clutched her heart. She glared daggers at the one who'd startled her.

"Fishlegs, don't _do _that!" said Lenora. "You scared the crap out of me!"

Toothless also disliked seeing his rider frightened. He folded his ears back and scowled at Fishlegs.

"Sorry, guys. I just couldn't help overhearing." Fishlegs seemed terribly excited. "You're in charge of the regatta? Do you know what an honor that is? It's…I don't even know what to say. How do I find the words?"

Knowledge of dragons wasn't Fishlegs's only passion. He loved the regatta. It was one of his all-time favorite events of the year. What excitement the event lacked, Fighlegs more than made up for with his own enthusiasm and excitement.

"It's a responsibility and tradition I need to uphold because it means a lot to my father," said Lenora. She sighed. "But Fishlegs, honestly, just because I'm in charge of it doesn't mean I like it. To mean, the regatta's just a boat race." One she didn't care much for and even though she didn't feel the need to turn everything into a competition, Lenora would honestly rather replace the regatta with dragon racing. Dragons were a part of their lives now; why not include them in sporting events? But she knew Stoick would disagree.

Fishlegs looked shocked. "'Just a boat race'? '_Just a boat race_'?!" he echoed. "Lenora, are you out of your mind? That's like saying a Gronckle's '_just a dragon_'!"

Right on cue, Puffskin walked onto the docks and gave Lenora a friendly lick.

"Hey, Puffskin. How you doing, girl?" said Lenora, as she gave the Gronckle a friendly scratch. "You keeping your boy in line?"

Puffskin acted like Fishlegs's second mother and was often commented on it.

Puffskin purred and nodded before trotting off to a large tent-like area tied off on the docks.

"Hey, what're you guys doing over there?" asked Lenora, curiously.

Fishlegs looked quite proud. "Puffskin and I have been working day and night to carry on the Ingerman family tradition for the regatta. I'm finally old enough! Isn't that exciting? Girl, hold me!" The last bit was directed at Puffskin, who snuggled into Fishleg's embrace.

Lenora chuckled. "I'm sure whatever you're working on will be wonderful. Can I see it?"

Fishlegs shook his head. "Sorry, but no. It's top secret. I want to show everyone when it's finished for the regatta!"

"Okay, fair enough." Being the blacksmith's apprentice, she knew what it was like to be excited about a project and not want to show anyone before completion. "But hey, Fish, just because I'm not a fan of the regatta, doesn't mean I won't do what needs to be done for it. And if you need anything for your boat, tools or anything like that, let me know, okay?"

Regardless of her feelings about the regatta, Lenora intended to make sure everything was ready for the boat race before Stoick's return.

"I will. Thanks, Lenora!"

XXX

Later that day, just as the sun was setting, Lenora was tired and ready to hit the sack.

In addition to overseeing the regatta preparations, blacksmith work, and her job as Dragon Instructor and Trainer, she'd had her hands full with the usual duties expected of a Chieftess. She'd settled disputes between arguing villagers, helped with any needed repairs to houses and fences, checked the food storage and inspected the armory, worked with the scouts to make sure there was no sign of trouble from Outcast Island or the Berserker Tribe, signed a number of papers that required a leader's signature, helped with the daily fishing, and so much more.

Before skipping dinner and calling it an early night, however, Lenora decided to drop by the arena to see Aster and her friends. What she found what she got there was something she hadn't been expecting, but wasn't entirely surprised to see, either.

Tuffnut was standing in front of a chalkboard full of written instructions and drawings. Aster, Snotlout and Ruffnut were standing across from him, listening to him speak.

"…grab as many sheep as you can. If two riders get to the same sheep at the same time, you tear it in half! Half a sheep equals half a point," said Tuffnut.

_Not if I have anything to say about it! _Lenora didn't like what she was hearing. If they wanted to have their own dragon competitions on their own time, that was one thing. But what Tuffnut was talking about was way over the line.

"Think again, Tuffnut!" said Lenora, as she made her presence known. "There's not going to be any sheep tearing whatsoever!"

"Why not?" demanded Snotlout.

"Besides the fact that it's insane and we can't afford to lose good livestock?" said Lenora, in the tone of one explaining something obvious. "It's because there isn't going to be any dragon-sheep racing competition!" Much as she disliked being the one to rain on the parade, if Tuffnut intended on going through with his insane plans for a competition, Lenora was going to put her foot down.

Everyone except for Aster groaned in disappointment.

"Why not?" whined Ruffnut.

"Because my dad left me in charge and I said no, that's why!" said Lenora, exasperated. "If you want to play tag with your dragons or something like that, then fine. But this dragon-sheep racing competition is out of the question!"

"Ah, come on, Lenora!" said Snotlout, pleadingly. "You're the Acting Chieftess! Why can't you just rebel a little? _I _would, if Uncle Stoick had asked me or my dad to be Acting Chief!"

Lenora didn't know how to respond to that without being rude, so she said nothing. The sad fact of the matter was, if Lenora hadn't changed so much in Berk, her Uncle Spitelout, Snotlout's father, would've been made Acting Chief. There had also been a time when Lenora would've seriously considered allowing Snotlout to be her father's successor instead of her, but that time was long passed. She fully intended to become Chieftess when the time came, regardless of the long and tiring day she'd had.

"That's probably why Stoick _didn't _leave you in charge, Snotlout," said Aster.

Snotlout glared at Aster.

"But what if we treat the sheep nicely like we did yesterday? Would you let us do it then?" asked Tuffnut.

"I _can't_. I've got my hands full with my duties and besides that, I've got strict instructions to prepare for the regatta," said Lenora.

This time, everyone, including Aster, groaned. Like Lenora, they didn't care much for the regatta either. They found it just as boring as she did.

"Guys, look, I'm not overly fond of the regatta either, and believe me, I'd _love_ to have dragon racing instead, but you know the regatta's a tradition and you know how important traditions are to my dad," said Lenora. "Besides, do any of you want to be the ones explaining to him why the regatta's been replaced with dragon racing?"

"She's got a point, guys," said Aster. "You all know what Stoick's like when he's mad. You really want to face that?"

Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut mumbled in agreement. None of them fancied facing Stoick's temper. Besides the fact that he was the leader of Berk and had the power to punish them as he saw fit, he was bigger than all of them and his bark could be as bad as his bite. Anyone with sense would rather go up against a ticked off Monstrous Nightmare that had set itself on fire.

"Lenora's our Acting Chieftess. We're duty-bound to obey her wishes," said Aster. "So, that's the end of the discussion. No sheep-catching, dragon racing competition."

Lenora shot Aster a grateful look as the others muttered in agreement to his words.

"Guys, I really am sorry about this, but maybe after I speak with my dad about it, we can have a dragon race after the regatta. Okay?"

_If they want a dragon race this bad, then maybe others in Berk do too. Maybe we can work out a compromise or something_, thought Lenora.

Thankfully they agreed to this and then Lenora was escorted home by Aster, who kissed her good-night. Lenora then went to sleep with Toothless curled up by her side, and as she drifted off, she hoped that she could get through the remaining time before Stoick's return with as little trouble as possible.

XXX

The following morning, however, Lenora was woken up by the sounds of cheering and pounding on her door.

Lenora had a stressful night with bad dreams and took a sleeping potion to help her rest, and while it had granted her the sleep she craved, it had also led her and Toothless to oversleep and not hear the ruckus going on outside until it was too late.

"All right, all right, I'm coming!" said Lenora. She yawned as she got out of bed and opened the front door.

Aster was on the other side, looking slightly panicked. "Thank goodness, you're up. We've got a bit of a problem."

"What problem? What's going—_oh, you've got to be kidding me!_" exclaimed Lenora.

There was a crowd of villagers outside cheering on Snotlout and the twins as they did exactly what Lenora had expressly forbidden them from doing—a dragon-sheep racing competition. The crowd seemed to enjoy it and Lenora heard some remark that it was better than the regatta, but Lenora didn't care for that. She was furious that her orders had been disobeyed and she dreaded what Stoick was going to do when he found out. She didn't need this kind of disobedience and trouble, especially not now of all times!

"Which one of them started this?" demanded Lenora.

"Not one, all _three_ of them. They talked about it at dinner after you left and got everyone to participate in the competition instead of the regatta," said Aster. "I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen to me. So, I came and got you."

"You did the right thing. I'll handle this." _They are so dead! _

So, after getting Toothless in his flying gear, they got onto her roof and she had Toothless yell into a megaphone. His loud roar caused everyone to fall silent and cease what they were doing. Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut hovered in the air and looked sheepish (no pun intended) as they ducked their heads and averted their eyes from Lenora's stern gaze.

"Now that I have your attention, I want everyone to go to the Great Hall for a meeting. So, get those sheep back in their pen and head over there, _now!_" ordered Lenora.

XXX

So, the sheep were returned and Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut the lecture of their lives, Lenora hosted a meeting with the villagers in the Great Hall.

There was a great deal of noise as everyone was chatting about the interrupted but still quite exciting dragon race, and they kept chanting over and over, "_Dragon race! Dragon race! Dragon race!_" Because they clearly wanted a dragon race instead of a regatta.

"Settle down, everyone! Settle down!" said Lenora, loudly. But they didn't, so she turned to Toothless. "Toothless, buddy, can you help me out here?"

Toothless aimed a plasma blast at one of the hanging torches, which silenced everyone.

"Thanks, buddy," said Lenora. She cleared her throat and spoke to her people. "So, I know you all had a great time blowing off steam with the dragon race this morning, but I'm sorry to inform you that the race was performed against my orders as I expressly told Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut that such a competition was forbidden until I could speak about it with my father."

That caused everyone to glare at the three troublemakers, who looked sheepish but not regretful of their decision.

"And I must remind you that the time for the annual regatta is almost upon us and there're still preparations that need to be done for it," said Lenora.

There was a series of disappointed looks and groans and then Mulch raised his hand.

"Yes, Mulch?"

"Lenora, I think I speak for all of us when I say that while we love traditions, we would much rather have a dragon race instead of a regatta," said Mulch. "It's much more exciting and it's a _much _better way to blow off steam."

"I see," said Lenora. "And do you all feel that way? Would you all prefer a dragon race instead of the regatta?"

The entire room lit up with cheers of agreement.

Lenora sighed as she rubbed the space between her eyes. This wasn't going to go well. She had to ensure the preparations for the regatta were completed before Stoick got home or else there would be a world of trouble. She couldn't do it by herself. There was too much for one person to do alone. And at the same time, if she didn't permit the dragon race, chances were that everyone would be mad or disappointed with her and the regatta still wouldn't happen and Stoick would still be furious when he found out. She had to work out a compromise that would work best for Stoick's wishes as that of the people of Berk.

After a moment, she came up with what she believed would be a good solution.

"All right, I'm willing to admit that I'd rather have a dragon race instead of the regatta and if it's what everyone wants, then we can have one," said Lenora.

That earned her several cheers.

"HOWEVER!" said Lenora, loudly to make the villagers be quiet. "As much as I would prefer to have a dragon race instead of the regatta, I cannot—and nor should any of the rest of you—forget the fact that the regatta is a tradition that's very important to my father, your Chief."

Everyone's faces fell and there were murmurs of agreement. Everyone on Berk knew just how important the regatta was to Stoick.

"So, therefore, I am willing to negotiate a compromise," said Lenora. "If and _only if_, the regatta preparations are completed before midday, there will be _one _dragon race! And the dragon race must be done before my father returns to Berk, so he can enjoy the regatta as he wishes. Any further dragon racing will have to be discussed with him when he returns to Berk. All those who agree, raise your right hand."

Everyone's hands went up. The vote was unanimous.

"At the risk of getting yelled at again, may I offer some suggestions to the dragon race?" asked Snotlout.

"Depends. What're your suggestions?" asked Lenora, warily.

"We should have teams," said Snotlout, excitedly. "Because Fishlegs won't join in, there'll be only two dragons on each team. Me and the twins will be Team Snotnuts and you and Aster can be Team Lenster."

Aster made a face. "I think having teams is a good idea, but not with those names. How about we name the teams after our dragons, like Team Monstrous Zippleback and Deadly Fury instead?"

"I'll consent to the teams, but I agree with Aster," said Lenora. "Monstrous Zippleback and Deadly Fury will be the team names for the competition."

Though it might've looked that way, Lenora wasn't showing favoritism to her boyfriend. She honestly believed Aster's suggested names sounded far better than Snotlout's.

"I like them," said Ruffnut. "They sound _awesome!_"

"Yeah. _Way _better that Snotnuts," said Tuffnut.

Snotlout looked disappointed but he agreed to the team names.

And with that decision made, everyone set to work.

XXX

By midday, the regatta preparations were completed.

The prize made ready, the boats ready to set sail, the banners and flags waving in the wind and the stands were cleaned and cushioned for those who were watching. Now all that remained for it was Stoick's return so the regatta could occur.

With Aster's help, Lenora made a game plan for the dragon race. The sheep would start at Silent Sven's farm and once the race started, they'd be released. The dragon riders would wait for Gothi's signal at the Dragon Academy and from there, they'd round up the sheep and drop them in baskets. Bucket and Mulch would stand by the baskets where the sheep would be deposited and keep count of each sheep that was dropped. Whichever team brought back the most sheep won the race.

Lenora gripped Toothless' flying gear tightly as she awaited Gothi's signal for the race to begin. Despite all the trouble the event had given her, her heart was pounding with excitement for the race and a part of her was looking forward to it.

Gothi raised the flag up high, making the dragons growl and grumble in anticipation and then she smiled as she dropped it.

Quicker than one could blink, the four dragon riders flew out of the arena and into the woods in search of Sven's sheep.

"Whoo-hoo!" cried Snotlout.

Everyone joined in as they were all excited.

"All right, buddy, we've got this," said Lenora.

Three sheep were on the beach just up ahead of them. Just like before, Toothless dove down and grabbed two in his front paws and then barrel rolled, allowing Lenora to get the third.

"Good job. There'll be extra codfish for you tonight," said Lenora.

Toothless purred.

They deposited the sheep in the baskets just as Aster did the same with one of his own, and the twins dropped off a pair. It wasn't long before each team had rounded up half a dozen sheep, making it a tie. And now that Timmy, the black sheep had to be found and used to declare a winner, the heat was on.

Timmy was found running as fast as his little legs could carry him through the thickest part of the woods. The twins were knocked off Smoke and Sparks when the Zippleback ran into a tree trying to go two directions at once. While Lenora tried to steer Toothless safely through the woods, Aster and Snotlout got into it.

"I'm not backing off this time!" said Snotlout.

"That's what you always say, right before you back off!" retorted Aster.

And with that, they both dove towards Timmy, who'd fainted from all the excitement and in the process, Snotlout misdirected Firewyrm and collided with Aster. He fell off Brightscales and landed hard on a large rock. Lenora arrived just in time to witness it.

"Guys!" she cried. "Are you all okay?" She quickly got off Toothless and examined her cousin and boyfriend and their dragons. The dragons had sustained some bumps from the collision but there was no long-lasting damage and Snotlout was fine other than a headache and some bruises. Aster, on the other hand, was clutching his arm and looked as though he was about to cry from the pain he felt and no one could blame him, considering his injury. "Snotlout, Aster's arm is broken. Get Gothi and tell everyone the race is over."

Instead of arguing and insisting on finishing the race as Lenora might've expected, instead he did a complete turnaround and seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation. He did as Lenora commanded without question. He didn't even take back Timmy so his team could win the race. All of which, Lenora was immensely grateful for.

"It hurts…" mumbled Aster, as tear slid down his cheek.

Having grown up as one of those typical, tough Vikings, Aster had quite the pain tolerance, and to hear him admitting he was in pain meant he was _really _hurting.

Lenora kissed his head in an attempt to comfort him. "You'll be okay, I promise." She had Toothless keep him warm while she gathered herbs and sticks.

Having helped Gothi in her spare time, Lenora knew a fair amount about medicine. She was not at Gothi's level, but her skills would suffice until Gothi arrived. Using the sticks she'd gathered, she made a splint for Aster's broken arm and used her jacket for a sling and then had Aster swallow some bitter-tasting herbs to help with the pain.

Snotlout soon arrived with Gothi, who praised Lenora's work and then did her own administrations before they went back to the Great Hall.

XXX

As one might've expected, the people of Berk weren't satisfied with the race's outcome of a tie and wanted a rematch to settle the score once and for all.

If it had gone smoothly as Lenora had wanted, she would've gladly agreed, but since Aster had gotten injured as a result of her idiot cousin's carelessness, she was less inclined to do so. And because everyone was pressuring her and she was upset over Aster's injury, she lost her temper.

"NO!" she yelled, making everyone fall silent. "I said no more dragon racing and I meant, _no more dragon racing! _I cannot believe you're acting this way! The deal was we'd have _one _dragon race and then we'd have the regatta! Any further dragon racing will have to be discussed with my father when he returns home tomorrow for the regatta! Since when do people of Berk not honor their agreements or the words of their leader?"

It was unsure who was more stunned at Lenora's outburst, the people of Berk or Lenora herself, for she normally kept better control over her temper and wasn't so quick to anger as she was now and nor had they heard her be so stern and commanding before. It was a bit frightening but at the same time, it calmed her down somewhat.

Everyone's faces fell and they had the decency to look ashamed. They _had _promised to have the regatta after one dragon race and take any further racing up with Stoick and they'd promised to obey Lenora's orders as she did her job as Acting Chieftess. To forgo their obligations and not honor their agreements would be disgraceful and no one in Berk wanted that.

"Guys, Lenora's right," said Snotlout.

Everyone turned and stared at Snotlout in disbelief at this. While Snotlout had become a better friend to Lenora since the Battle of Red Death, he and Lenora had differences of opinion when it came to matters like this and he rarely agreed with Lenora so quickly. Normally, it took some persuasion for that to happen.

"We gave Lenora our word and we should do as she says," said Snotlout. "And besides, if we do have anymore dragon racing, we'll need to do it better so injuries like Aster's don't happen again."

"Thanks, Snotlout. I appreciate that," said Lenora, gratefully.

Snotlout gave her a small smile. "It's the least I can do considering it's my fault Aster got hurt. Which, I really am sorry for, pal."

"Thanks, Snot. But if you really want to make it up to me, you can help me out until my arm's all better," said Aster, with a mischievous look on his face.

"I agree," said Lenora, quickly. "Don't you?"

Snotlout looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon but one look at Brightscales, who was holding her spiky tail up rather threateningly, and he agreed. He was in for it.

"But no one really won the dragon race!" protested Tuffnut. "We'll still do the stupid boat race like we promised, but we need to settle score!"

Everyone murmured in agreement.

Lenora sighed in exasperation. "Need I remind you, that the rules state that the race requires teams and I don't have a teammate?" Aster was in no shape to compete the race and Fishlegs was busy with his regatta preparations. There was no one to be Lenora's teammate. She then sighed a little more gently at the looks on everyone's faces. "Look, everyone, I'm sorry for yelling. The past few days have been really stressful and I'm trying to do what's best for everyone to the best of my ability. You've all done a great job. Seeing everyone loving this dragon event means a lot to me. I will admit that the race didn't really end as promised and I'd love to have a rematch, but unless I get a teammate, a rematch is out of the question. I'm really sorry everyone, but that's my decision."

Lenora disliked disappointing everyone, but her hands were tied. Stoick was coming back soon and she had a responsibility to uphold.

Privately, with everything that'd happened, Lenora had even greater respect for her father. _How has Dad managed this all these years? Being a leader and commanding respect and obedience and doing what's best for the village is so much harder than I could've imagined. What kind of leader can I be if I can't even handle this? _She intended to be Chieftess no matter what but with all the stress of recent days, she felt a tiny, nagging doubt about her abilities as a leader.

Just then, Gustav Larson, one of Lenora's aspiring young students, came forward with his Montrous Nightmare dragon called Hookfang.

"Hookfang and I will be your partner," he offered. "We've been practicing. We'll do whatever you say and be the best team in Berk! You can have all the credit. _Please?_"

Lenora couldn't help but smile at Gustav while Snotlout scowled.

"Traitor," he muttered. Gustav admired Lenora for being the first dragon rider in Berk, but he usually followed Snotlout and Firewyrm around like a lost puppy and Snotlout and Gustave treated each other like the brothers they never had.

"Gustav, I'm honored and I'd love to have you as my teammate, but you and Hookfang are a bit young for this," said Lenora, gently.

Despite his aspirations, Gustav was still a child and his dragon wasn't full-grown yet. They were just too young to compete in the race.

Gustav looked disappointed. "Next year, then?"

"Maybe, but I can't promise anything," said Lenora. If her students were willing to work with her, then She then made up her mind about what to do now. "All right, everyone, since the rematch is clearly very important to you all and since we're going to have the regatta tomorrow as agreed, I'll let the rematch happen." She raised her hand to silence everyone when they started cheering again. "But, I'm going to have to speak with Fishlegs. If he agrees to be my teammate, you'll get your rematch. If not, then there'll be no further racing until I've discussed it with my father. Agreed?"

With some reluctance, everyone agreed.

XXX

So, Lenora went down to the docks to try and persuade Fishlegs to be her teammate and as expected, Fishlegs was refusing.

"Sorry, Lenora. I can't do it. I can't afford to take any time away from my regatta preparations and frankly, I'm surprised you would shirk your responsibilities as Acting Chieftess to give in to the whims of the masses," said Fishlegs, disapprovingly.

"I didn't '_give in_' to anything!" she said, indignantly. "I negotiated a compromise! The regatta's still going to happen, but I've got to get this dragon race handled first. Besides, Fishlegs, it's not the point. I really need you right now and wouldn't you _love_ to take out Snotlout and the twins? Or should I say, Team Monstrous Zippleback?

"Good name, I'll admit that," said Fishlegs. "But my answer's still no. As tempting as it is, Puffskin and I have one thing on our minds and one thing only. The regatta. That's where our allegiance is. We're sailors through and through. There's _nothing _that can stop me from bringing home regatta gold."

"Okay, okay, fine," said Lenora. She could see Fishlegs wouldn't be dissuaded from the regatta. She was proud of him for sticking to it but at the same time, she wished he'd agree to work with her. "So, can I finally see your ship? I'm dying to see what you've come up with."

"Absolutely. Prepared to be amazed!"

Fishlegs took the cover off his ship, revealing a small sailboat barely big enough for Puffskin to ride in. The sail was embroidered with a rather cute image of Fishlegs and Puffskin together and there were sails at the bow in the shape of Gronckle wings. It wasn't an amazing craft, but it was at least an interesting boat, if nothing else.

Toothless let out a dragon-y laugh, stating his opinion of Fishlegs's craftsmanship.

"Toothless, be nice," scolded Lenora. But her tone lacked emotion as she felt more concerned at the sight of Puffskin sitting in the boat, looking ready to set sail. "Fishlegs, your boat looks great, but I _really _wouldn't take Puffskin sailing if I were you. Gronckles get seasick and it's not really a pretty sight."

Such an incident had happened to Gobber once when he'd tried to transport an injured Gronckle via a boat and he'd told Lenora all about it.

"Nice try, Lenora!" said Fishlegs. "But we're still taking our first test drive."

Lenora sighed and shook her head. There was no point in arguing with Fishlegs. _If he won't listen, then he'll just have to learn the hard way._

So Fishlegs set out in his little boat with Puffskin and as predicated, Puffskin got ill and coughed up fire, which burned a hole in the boat and caused it to sink like a rock. Puffskin's seasickness ceased as soon as she was flying up in the air again.

"What time's the race again?" asked Fishlegs.

XXX

A quarter of an hour later, much to the approval of the crowd gathered to watch, Fishlegs stood beside Lenora as they prepared to race against Snotlout and the twins. Their team was called Team Gronckle Fury.

"Racers ready!" said Mulch, as Gothi prepared to drop the flag. "And…"

"_LENORA VALKA HORRENDOUS HADDOCK THE THIRD!_"

Everyone gasped and Lenora's heart sank as Stoick walked in, looking far from happy.

_Oh, holy crud! I'm in so much trouble! _"Ack! Dad!" Lenora quickly dismounted from Toothless and ran over to her father. "Hey, Daddy. Welcome back." _So early_, she could've added but did not. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but I can explain everything." And if she was lucky, she'd only be grounded for a week instead of eternity.

"I certainly hope so, young lady," said Stoick, gruffly. He had his hands on his hips and he was frowning. "Because while I see regatta decorations, I see no one actually ready for the regatta! So, would you mind telling me what in Thor's name is going on?"

Lenora winced. "Dad, can we discuss this privately?"

Without giving Stoick a chance to reply, Lenora grabbed his hand pulled him aside to the entrance of the arena. She then quickly told him what'd been happening since his departure to Loki Island and what was happening now.

"…so, now I've got to finish this or no one's ever going to trust me when I give my word again. They upheld their end of the bargain, so I've got to do mine. But I'm still really, _really _sorry, Dad. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm a little mad, but not at you," said Stoick. He shot a glare at Snotlout and the twins, who winced under Stoick's piercing gaze. "In fact, I'm proud of you."

"You are?" said Lenora, surprised. She would've thought he'd be mad at her for not being a stricter leader.

"I know what it's like to make hard choices for the good of everyone else while trying to do what your family expects of you and from what you've told me of your attempts to compromise, I'd say you did the best you could in the situation to be fair and just. And you did a good job of it," said Stoick. "_And _I hear you did an _excellent_ job keeping up with your Acting Chieftess duties while I was gone. I think you're going to make an amazing Chieftess when the time comes."

Lenora relaxed and smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"And now there's only one thing left for me to do," said Stoick.

"And what might that be?" asked Lenora.

Stoick smiled. "Run the dragon race!"

As he said that rather loudly, everyone heard him and a great round of applause and cheers were heard. Now that Stoick was onboard with the dragon racing, chances were it would _definitely _replace the annual regatta.

"But if we're going to do it, then we've got to do it right," said Stoick. "Now, get everyone together! I've got some ideas!"

Smiling broadly and feeling more excited than ever, Lenora rounded up her friends and they did as Stoick instructed.

Stoick's ideas consisted of special face paint for the dragons and their riders—bright green for Snotlout's team and bright red for Lenora's—Aster being a referee, a new scoring system and a heck of a lot more. His ideas were eagerly accepted by the riders and Stoick seemed quite pleased with himself when everything was ready.

"Welcome to the first annual Berk Dragon Race!" said Stoick, loudly. He opened a chest and several different colored Terrible Terrors burst out and flew in a synchronized formation. "We have two teams! The green team, team Monstrous Zippleback!" Everyone cheered for Snotlout and the twins. "And the red team, Team Gronckle Fury!" Everyone cheered for Lenora and Fishlegs. "All right! Now, each white sheep is worth one point! But the black sheep is worth _five!_ I've appointed Aster Hofferson to be our referee, to make sure there's no funny business!"

Stoick's frowning gaze fell upon Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who stared at each other in confusion.

"Why does he always look at _us _when he says that?" asked Tuffnut.

No one responded to him.

"The winner of today's race will have their portrait hung in the Great Hall and a feast held in their honor!" said Stoick. "Are we ready?"

Gothi raised the flag, making everyone fall silent. Then after a moment's pause, she dropped it and the race began.

XXX

During the race, the team members spilt up and it wasn't long before trouble began.

Snotlout swiped a pair of sheep that Fishlegs had been aiming for and taunted Fishlegs about it. But Lenora made up for it when she and Toothless flew into a dark cave, looking for sheep. Because Toothless could see in the dark better than any other dragon species, and could use echolocation and was the fastest of all dragons, it was easy for him to get past the stalagmites and stalactites in the cave and snag the three sheep at the other end of the cave before the twins could.

Later on during the race, Lenora found a sheep stranded on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean. Only problem was, Snotlout spotted it too.

"One mutton to go with a side order of victory!" said Snotlout, smugly.

"Turbo speed, Toothless," said Lenora.

Toothless nodded and then immediately sped up, allowing Lenora to go grab the sheep and causing Firewyrm to miss it by a mere inch.

"Sorry, Snotlout, your kitchen is closed!" said Lenora, as she flew back to deposit the sheep.

While this was happening, Ruffnut and Tuffnut decided to take advantage of the situation and do a little cheating. They'd snuck away to one of the other sheep famers.

"You know, these aren't Sven's sheep," said Ruffnut.

"No one will know the difference," said Tuffnut, smugly.

The smug look was wiped off his face when Brightscales's spikes appeared out of nowhere and formed a semi-circle around the sheep. The twins looked up to see Aster, flying above them with a stern look on his face.

"That's because you won't be using them!" said Aster. "Now, get!"

"Hey, if you aren't cheating, you aren't trying!" protested Tuffnut.

"What he said!" said Ruffnut.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut narrowly dodged more of the Nadder's spikes for that.

"_Now!_" barked Aster.

So, without further do, the twins left the farm.

Meanwhile, Lenora and Fishlegs had regrouped and were trying to find another sheep. They soon found one trapped on an icy hill in one of the colder parts of Berk.

"C'mon, girl. Let's get her," said Fishlegs. His face fell when the sheep then tripped over its own feet and slid down the hill of ice. "Oh, no! Lenora, help me catch it!"

The sheep slid down the hill faster than Puffskin could fly and then took a rather frightening flight off the edge of the cliff and disappeared, causing Fishlegs much distress.

"Oh, no! Lenora!"

But Fishlegs's worry evaporated when the sheep peaked its head over the cliff's edge, looking quite unharmed. Lenora and Toothless then appeared. The sheep was nestled safely on Toothless' head with Lenora's arm wrapped around it.

"We got her, Fish. She's safe," assured Lenora.

Fishlegs looked overjoyed. "Sweet!"

And with that, they deposited the sheep just as Snotlout's team did the same with the sheep they'd found.

"It's all tied up!" said Stoick. "With the teams' scores tied, whoever brings back the black sheep wins the race!"

As everyone cheered, the teams quickly took off, intending to settle the score and secure a victory once and for all.

"We've got to find the black sheep. Where could he be?" said Lenora, as she and Fishlegs flew together. By now, she'd succumbed to enjoyment of the competition and desired to win.

"I've got it!" said Fishlegs, as his face lit up. "Something Silent Sven said. Timmy the black sheep always—"

"—falls down the well!" finished Lenora. "Come on, let's go!"

They quickly arrived at the well and Fishlegs and Puffskin carefully flew down the well. "That's it. Steady, girl. Steady."

Lenora looked up when the twins' screeching met her ears and she saw them flying above her with the black sheep.

_Oh, man_. Lenora couldn't help but feel disappointed. They'd lost the race. Snotlout's team had won the race.

"Fishlegs, the twins just flew by with the black sheep! It's over!" called Lenora. "I'm heading back to the arena." At least one representative of the opposing team had to be there to be a good sport and accept what had happened. Regardless of her disappointment, Lenora intended to be a good sport and congratulate her cousin for his team's success. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay, Lenora! Be there in a minute!" said Fishlegs.

So without further ado, Lenora went back.

XXX

Back at the arena, everyone congratulated and cheered on Snotlout's team.

Snotlout and his team looked quite proud of themselves, not a little smug about their success.

"The winner is Team Monstrous Zippleback!" declared Stoick.

The cheers got even louder.

Lenora applauded and then walked over to her cousin. "Hey, congratulations. You did great."

Snotlout smiled and shook Lenora's offered hand. "Yeah, you too. So, if your dad decides to allow more dragon racing, would you be up for a rematch? Just you and me?"

"You're on," said Lenora, smiling. "Name the time and the place. Maybe next time I'll beat you."

No matter how much trouble and stress this whole business had caused Lenora, she had to admit, she'd had a lot of fun and would love it if it would happen again.

"Actually, next time you might beat him _again_, Lenora," said Fishlegs, smugly as he flew in. "Look who I found down the well!"

Safely secured in Fishlegs's arms was Timmy, Sven's black sheep.

"Uh-oh," said Tuffnut.

"What the—?" Lenora looked at the black sheep that the twins had brought back and was sitting on top of a barrel. It was then that Lenora spotted something about the black sheep. Its face was more white than black like a regular black sheep's and its wool didn't look like properly groomed and shining black wool, instead it looked like glossy paint. She then realized what had happened and she shook her head at the twins. "Honestly, you two! What were you thinking?"

"What's going here?" demanded Stoick. "Sven!"

"Oh! There's only _one _black sheep, Stoick!" said Sven, smugly.

"Yeah, and it's _ours!_" said Ruffnut, quickly.

"Yeah, aren't you, little sheepy-weepy?" said Tuffnut, as he nuzzled the sheep. When he pulled away, his face was covered in black paint and there was white wool where the paint used to be, exposing the lie. "Uh…oh, crud."

Snotlout's jaw dropped and he looked horrified. "How _could _you? That's disgraceful! I am so, sorry everyone! I knew nothing about this, I swear!"

Some might not have believed Snotlout, but Lenora could tell he wasn't lying. She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him.

"We have a reversal, folks!" said Aster. "With the _real _black sheep, the winning team is Team Gronckle Fury!"

The crowd cheered and applauded and then later there was a celebration in honor of Lenora's team's victory—a fine portrait painted by Bucket and a delicious feast. And even better, Stoick decided to cancel the regatta in favor of the dragon racing, a decision that was well-received by all.

XXX

_**Berk, present time**_

Lenora smiled thoughtfully as Aster finished telling the tale of dragon racing's beginnings.

"Huh, so I guess it was technically _Tuffnut _who invented the sport." Which was a bit disturbing when she thought about it.

Snotlout looked depressed as he sat down in front of his sheep launcher.

"Yeah, technically it was," said Tuffnut, smugly.

"That's…embarrassing," said Aster. "But at least you came up with most of the rules."

"Well, this is depressing," said Snotlout, sadly.

He seemed quite upset that knowing he hadn't played the role he thought he did in Berk's all-time favorite sport.

Lenora sat beside her cousin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Snotlout, you may not have actually invented dragon racing, but your persistence played a key role in it. You came up with the idea of teams and naming them and not that I'm condoning disobedience, but if you and the twins hadn't disobeyed my orders in the first place, the annual dragon race might not have happened. And let's not forget about your sheep launcher you invented for today's race. You did all that at least."

Snotlout brightened up considerably as he stood up. "Yeah, yeah I _did _do all that stuff! No one can take it away from me!"

Lenora couldn't help but smile and laugh.

The sound of a horn blowing caught everyone's attention.

Toothless' eyes widened and he wagged tail eagerly as he nuzzled Lenora.

"Yeah, I know, buddy. It's time for the race!" said Lenora, as she hugged him. She then mounted him and took off with the other riders.

"Whoo-hoo!" cried Aster.

"Hey, target face, this way!" said Tuffnut.

Fishlegs growled in frustration. "_Ingerman family crest!_"

"I may not have invented this race, but I'm sure going to win it!" declared Snotlout.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said Lenora, teasingly. She scratched Toothless' ear. "C'mon, bud. Let's take him down."

Toothless garbled in agreement and let out two plasma blasts, creating a firework effect.

Another day in the life of the people of Berk. Who wouldn't love it?

_**The End**_

_**A/N: Watch for the sequel to **_**How Lenora Trains Her Dragon**_**, which is currently in the works! **_


End file.
